This invention is directed to a simulated bowling game, and in particular to a simulated bowling game wherein a reflected image of fixed illuminated bowling pin shaped lamps is utilized to simulate an actual bowling alley.
Heretofore, toy bowling games have been of two types. A first type is where the bowling pins are actually contacted by a projectile such as a small bowling ball or a sliding puck. Such bowling games have been found to be less than completely satisfactory for two reasons. First, the toy bowling pins can often be damaged by the projectile, and secondly, the toy bowling pins do not effectively simulate the manner in which actual bowling pins are knocked down. In order to overcome the disadvantages provided by bowling games wherein the toy bowling pins are contacted by the moving projectile, simulated bowling games having a display panel to which are mounted a number of transilluminated visual indicia corresponding to bowling pins have been provided. In these types of simulated bowling games, the player rolls a ball down an alley so that the ball will pass under a display panel and actuate a series of downwardly extending switches, which switches in turn indicate the pins "knocked down" by switching off the appropriate visual indicia on the display panel. Among the disadvantages of this type of simulated bowling game is that display panels are incapable of providing the same effect provided by ten bowling pins standing at the end of a bowling alley and, additionally, the trans-illuminated visual indicia are directly coupled to the switches that are contacted by the bowling ball and, accordingly, prevent a simulated known down of bowling pins that are not directly contacted by the bowling ball, but would otherwise be knocked down in an actual bowling alley as a result of the angle at which an actual bowling pin disperses when same is struck by a bowling ball. Accordingly, a simulated bowling game that overcomes the aforenoted disadvantages is desired.